The resources exist. The need exists.
Fund the Connection.
Every dollar you give to Grata Connects goes directly to closing the gap between people in crisis and the help they deserve — right here in Orange County.
We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in early growth — which means your investment now lays the foundation for everything that follows. We track every dollar, report every outcome, and give you full transparency on what your support makes possible.
Every dollar has a specific job, and a real person behind it.
Nearly 17,000 Orange County residents live below the poverty line. Housing, transportation, healthcare, and food crises don't arrive one at a time — they arrive together. Here is exactly how your funding supports them.
Emergency Housing Stabilization
A family in Carrboro is served an eviction notice after one missed month of rent. Without intervention, displacement means lost schooling, lost employment, and a spiral that costs the community far more to address later. Grata Connects will pay one full month of rent for qualifying families, providing the breathing room to avoid displacement. We then conduct a full needs assessment and connect each family with long-term support. The goal is not just to prevent an eviction. It is to begin a real path to stability.$800 - $1400 keeps one family housed. Fully tracked.
Transportation Access Program
A single repair bill (an alternator, a set of tires or brakes) stands between a working parent and their job. For someone living on the financial edge, that is not an inconvenience. It is a crisis that cascades into unemployment and missed rent. We partner with local auto repair shops in Chapel Hill and Carrboro to cover vehicle repair costs for qualifying individuals. A working car is the infrastructure of economic participation, and we fund it directly so people can stay employed and keep moving forward. $100+ covers a repair. Keeps someone employed.
Community Outreach & Navigation
Orange County has remarkable support infrastructure for those in need, but navigating it alone is a full-time job most people in crisis can't afford to take on. Referrals get lost. Agencies work in silos. People fall through the cracks not because help doesn't exist, but because no one is guiding them to it. We go into the community to find people before they reach a breaking point, assess the full picture of their needs, and walk them through the support system with care. This is the connective tissue the whole system has been missing. The foundation of how every connection begins.
The Grata Connects Innovation Lab
60+ UNC students on 8 research teams are working right now, mapping every support resource in Orange County, producing policy briefs for local government, and creating the events that build community momentum. Their research goes directly to local leaders. This is not academic theory. Funding the Innovation Lab means funding the next generation of Grata Connects programs. As we grow, future initiatives will tackle food access, healthcare navigation, and employment support. Every program we launch begins with this research engine, and with supporters like you.
Not ready donate right now?
Support us with your time and wisdom.
Grata Connects runs on more than funding. We need people who show up to do outreach, to research, to guide, and to lend the kind of expertise that makes every dollar work harder. If giving isn't possible right now, this is your place.
Community Outreach
Join a volunteer team going into the community to connect people in crisis with real resources. No experience needed , just the willingness to show up with compassion.
Innovation Lab Contributor
Work alongside high school and college student researchers mapping community resources, writing policy briefs, and designing the next generation of Grata Connects programs.
Lend Your Expertise
Are you a social worker, attorney, healthcare provider, community leader, or passionate about supporting those in need? Your professional knowledge directly strengthens the care we're able to provide to our neighbors.